FBI Investigates Theft of 6,451 Graded Trading Cards From California FedEx Truck

The FBI and the Santa Ana Police Department are investigating the theft of 6,451 trading cards that had been professionally graded by PSA, the Professional Sports Authenticator. Nearly 3,000 of the cards are Pokémon. The rest of the haul makes up the remainder of the collection, and all of it was taken from a FedEx truck in California.

Grading matters to collectors because PSA assesses each card's condition and authenticity, assigns a numeric grade, and seals the card in a tamper-evident plastic holder. That holder, often called a slab, lets buyers and sellers trade a card without inspecting it in person, and the grade drives much of its price. A shipment of this size is therefore worth a great deal, and it is also easier to move than loose cards, since the authentication work has already been done.

The investigation is at an early stage. The reporting available so far does not say whether any arrests have been made, whether any suspects have been identified, or whether any of the cards have been recovered. It also does not describe how the truck was targeted.

Theft of collectibles has drawn more attention as prices for high-grade cards have climbed, and Pokémon in particular has attracted a large and active resale market. Collectors who buy graded cards are generally advised to keep their purchase records. Each PSA slab carries a certification number that can be looked up in PSA's online registry, which is one way that stolen cards can be identified if they resurface for sale.